The ancestors of the name Woldone date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in or near any of the places named Walden in Essex, Hertfordshire, and Northern Yorkshire. Woldone is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Woldone comes from the Old English words wealh and denu, which mean foreigner and valley. Thus, the surname would have been given to a person who was a stranger from a valley. Another source claims a slightly different origin of the place name: "The name Walden is said to be derived from the Saxon words Weald and Den, signifying a woody valley. At a latter period the place was called Waldenburgh. " [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Woldone Early Origins

The surname Woldone was first found in Essex at Saffron Walden. "The name Walden is said to be derived from the Saxon words Weald and Den, signifying a woody valley. At a latter period the place was called Waldenburgh; and in the reign of Stephen." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Some of the family were granted the lands of Walden Abbey and adopting their surname from those lands. However, while the name originates in this county, the first on record was Godeman de Waldena who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176 in Hertfordshire. Simone de Waldene was listed in 1304 in Yorkshire. Another early record of the name is of Thomas Walden, recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Essex, 1377. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Today, Saffron Walden is a market town in Uttlesford district of Essex, home of Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, founded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex between 1136 and 1143. Walden and Walden Head are hamlets in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire and Walden Stubbs is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire.

Woldone Spelling Variations

Woldone Spelling Variations

Woldone has been spelled many different ways, including Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Walden, Waldern, Waldon, Waldew and others.

Woldone Early History

Woldone Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woldone research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1401, 1372, 1388, 1390, 1406, 1397, 1405, 1406, 1387 and 1405 are included under the topic Early Woldone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woldone Early Notables (pre 1700)

Woldone Early Notables (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Alexander Walden (died 1401), knighted by 1372, Member of Parliament for Essex (1388-1390); Roger Walden (died 1406), Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397, an English...

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woldone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Woldones to arrive on North American shores: Humphrey and Robert Walden who settled in Virginia in 1623; Sam Walden who settled in Virginia in 1635; Thomas Walden, his wife and children and servants arrived in Barbados in 1680.

The Woldone Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Woldone Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.